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Take this pool table.
看這個桌球臺
The surface looks flat and smooth, but up close,
表面看起來平整光滑，但靠近了看
it's actually anything but.
實際并非如此
It's full of gaps and holes.
它的表面布滿了裂縫和小孔
Even something as smooth as a pool ball
就連桌球這樣的光滑事物
has tiny crevices, wrinkles, and voids.
都有小的裂縫，細紋和小孔
Now, it's easy to show that
顯而易見
this is true in the first three dimensions,
這在三維空間里毋容置疑
but, trust me,
但是相信我
it's also true of the fourth dimension, as well.
在第四維空間里這也是正確的
There are tiny crevices, wrinkles, and voids
在時間空間里
in time.
也有小的裂縫，細紋和小孔
Down at the smallest of scales,
不斷地縮到最小的范圍
smaller even than molecules,
甚至比分子原子還微小時
smaller than atoms, we get to a place
我們所得到的
called the quantum foam.
就是量子泡沫
This is where wormholes exist.
蟲洞就存在于此
Tiny tunnels, or shortcuts,
在量子的世界里
through space and time constantly form,
穿越時空的微小隧道或捷徑
disappear, and reform within this quantum world.
不斷地形成，消失，再形成
And they actually link two separate
它們實際上連接了兩個獨立的區域
places and two different times.
和兩處不同的時間
Unfortunately, these real-life time tunnels are
不幸的是，這種真實存在的時間隧道
just a billion trillion trillionths of a centimeter across --
只有10的-33次方厘米的大小
way too small for a human to pass through.
遠不足以容納人類通過
But here's where the notion of wormhole time machines is leading.
但蟲洞時間機器的概念正帶來更多靈感
Some scientists think it may be possible to
一些科學家認為或許可以捕捉
capture one and enlarge it near trillions of times
其中一個蟲洞將其放大數萬億倍
to make it big enough for a human
讓它大到足以能讓人類
or even a spaceship to enter.
甚至宇宙飛船進入
Given enough power and advanced technology,
假設有足夠的能量和高科技
perhaps a giant wormhole could even be constructed in space.
或許可以在宇宙中構造一個巨大的蟲洞
I'm not saying it can be done,
我不是說這一定可行
but if it could be,
但如果真能面世
it would be a truly remarkable device.
它將是一個非常卓越的機器
One end could be here near the earth,
一端在地球附近
and the other far, far away, near some distant planet.
而另一端則在遙遠的星際
